Les Deux launches collaboration with legendary tennis brand Prince

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Les Deux has unveiled a new collaboration with iconic American tennis label Prince, long regarded as one of the defining names in the history of racquet sports.

To mark the launch, we spoke with Les Deux creative director Mathias Jensen, who has been part of the company since its earliest days.

Together, the two brands have developed a collection shaped by the visual language of 1990s tennis culture, while moving beyond pure performance wear and towards something more rooted in atmosphere, identity and lifestyle. For Les Deux, the collaboration is as much about the world surrounding the sport as the game itself.

Here, Mathias Jensen reflects on the role of sport within Les Deux, working with Prince’s distinctive heritage and why tennis aesthetics continue to resonate so strongly in contemporary fashion.

“Sport gives people something to gather around and that sense of community has always been central to Les Deux.”

Mathias Jensen, Creative director, Les Deux

“We see Prince as a true heritage brand in many ways, the kind of brand we aspire to become ourselves one day.”

Mathias, before we get into the Les Deux x Prince collaboration, could you explain the role sport plays for Les Deux as a brand?

“Sport has always been close to us, but not only because of what happens within the game itself. We started with ambition and community, and sport naturally brings those two things together. In the early days, I actually experienced our culture as something of a locker room.

There was a certain atmosphere, an energy, and a feeling that it was us against the world. On top of that, sport gives people something to gather around, and that aspect has always been important to us.”

How did the dialogue between Les Deux and Prince begin?

“We reached out to Prince because it made sense for us to work with a brand that has such a clearly defined universe. There is of course the tennis heritage, but also the attitude, the colours, the graphics and the sense of club culture. Tennis has always had a culture that extends beyond the match itself, and that was what we wanted to explore. Not just the player on court, but also the spectator and everything happening around the game.

At the same time, 90s nostalgia plays a big role in fashion right now, and Prince captures that feeling in a very authentic way. We see Prince as a heritage brand, in many ways similar to what we ourselves hope to become one day — a brand that evokes emotion and brings back memories.”

“We were given the opportunity to work with one of their most iconic back prints”

Prince is a highly iconic brand with a long history. Were there any Prince elements that were considered “untouchable”?

“When working with a brand like Prince, you have to respect what people already recognise about it. That was also part of why we chose them. The archive wasn’t something to be cleaned up, that was the whole point. The 90s iconography, the bold colour palette, the court lines and the graphic confidence of that era all needed to remain present. Our task was to place those elements into our world, not make them disappear.

We were given the opportunity to work with one of their most iconic back prints, where we merged our own brand elements with Prince’s. In addition, we were allowed to create a replica of one of their most popular 90s polo shirts. To make it fit into our shared universe, we chose to reinterpret it as a knit. It was a way of preserving the reference while giving it a form that felt right for the collaboration.

Overall, the process was very positive. Prince trusted us to handle their heritage and their brand with care, and I believe we did exactly that.”

“We were more interested in the world that tennis creates around itself.”

What do you do once the decision to collaborate has been made?

“For us, it always starts with the reason for doing it. With Prince, we knew quite early on that we didn’t want to create a performance tennis collection. We were more interested in the world that tennis creates around itself.

The clothing, the clubs, the waiting between points, the people in the stands, and the entire atmosphere surrounding the game. It felt like a more interesting place to begin, because it allowed us to work with tennis as culture, not just as sport.

How do you start that process, and what does the collection consist of?

“Practically speaking, that’s where the design process begins. First, a range plan is created, and then the whole team gets together and throws ideas into the air. It’s actually my favourite part of the process.

There’s something special about that stage where everything is still open, and you can feel the energy in the room.

At the same time, we look into Prince’s archives and start building from there. The collection consists of 17 styles across apparel and accessories, where we’ve worked with technical materials, textured cotton qualities, striped knits, washed graphics and more relaxed silhouettes. Some pieces sit closer to the court, but the collection is really designed for everything happening around it. It carries the sporting reference, but it’s not only about playing the game.

Meanwhile, the marketing team works in parallel on the storytelling and the campaign, so product and narrative develop together. For us, it’s important that the collection doesn’t just stand alone as clothing, but becomes part of a larger world that people can feel and understand.”

And do you have a personal favourite?

“My personal favourite is definitely the striped rugby polo. And probably also the T-shirt with the colourful back print. It’s very much my style.”